In homes, offices, restaurants, general rooms in buildings, such as factories, hotel rooms, conference rooms, reception areas, corridors, shops, there are different appliances which may generally be electric, but also may be of other kinds such as decorations, information boards, and which are hanging from or are attached to the ceiling in the considered room or area. Examples include pendant lamps, spot lamps, loud speakers, display devices, decorative objects, TV monitors, fans, information boards, blind covers, ceiling platforms, etc. These examples of areas and of appliances are by no means to be considered complete, as many other application areas could be found and mentioned.
Attached to a pendant lamp, there is in most cases a ceiling cover or fitting, the use of which normally aims at collecting and covering the connector/plug/socket, the suspension, the hook and the remaining cord from the lamp itself. One common disadvantage of existing ceiling covers or fittings is that it is difficult to keep the cover or fitting in a straight position, related to and in a tight engagement with the ceiling. In addition, in many cases, the cover or fitting can have a tendency of sliding downwards along the cord, since the attachment to the cord often is not reliable.
However, fixed length metal pipes can be mentioned which exist e.g. for the suspension of lamp globes. Then the ceiling fitting or cover does not slide because it can be rigidly secured to the pipe.
Ceiling fittings or covers of various designs have been disclosed in the prior art, such as in e.g. the documents DE2932334, DK9400492, EP1580481A1, EP1612475A1, FR2117772, FR2280859A1, FR2474144A1, FR2664365A1, GB0202056A, GB2251983A, GB2330015A, GB2375900A, U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,328, WO 97/01063, WO9621123A1. In several documents it is disclosed how a tight fit between the body of the ceiling fitting or cover can be achieved by the use of barbs, hooks, elastic elements, elongated members, ceiling screws, etc. in order to establish a desired lasting, non-sliding attachment of the body to the cord or to the ceiling.
In experiments with ceiling fittings or covers according to the prior art it has been realized that an improved solution for the suspension and ceiling fitting fixation is needed.
In particular, a ceiling fitting, casing or cover should be configured so that it is and stays in a tight engagement with the ceiling, so that the load of the weight of the fitting or cover is not taken by the cord, so that it anchors the fitting or cover to the hook or similar fixed suspension anchorage in relation to the ceiling, and offers a suspension which is variable in relation to the size of the cover and the length of the hook or similar fixed suspension anchorage, and which can be both easily mounted and dismounted for moving the lamp or similar suspended device to another location without requiring the use of any tools and without causing damage to the cord or ceiling. It should also allow for an electrically safe mounting of the appliance to the new cover or fitting.
In the prior art some of these problems are addressed. For example, in FR2117772 and FR2474144A1 ceiling suspension assemblies are disclosed that include a ceiling cover and a ceiling anchoring part which can be screwed in relation to each other to make the ceiling cover come in contact with the surface of the ceiling. However, it is difficult and/or unsafe to mount and dismount many of the suggested designs and many of the suggested designs are also dependent on a safe attachment of the fitting or cover to the cord itself for a proper positioning of the cover or fitting. In some embodiments a fixed ceiling anchorage is accomplished by screws or plugs penetrating into the ceiling. It is not easy to mount or dismount such designs without causing damage to either the ceiling or the cord itself.
Another disadvantage of the current ceiling fittings or covers that conventionally accompany an electrical lamp or other appliance, or of spare part covers that can be acquired separately, is that these fittings or covers do not allow the entry of a cord having a connector plug attached to the end thereof. This causes unnecessary danger as someone who wishes to exchange the ceiling cover or fitting is forced to first either cut the cord or to dismount the connector plug, then perform the exchange and finally reinstall a new plug to the end of the cord after threading it through the small aperture of a new fitting. The same problem appears with other appliances having a fixed object attached to the end of the cord or string. The published International patent application WO96/21123 discloses a design that can be opened at the side thereof. However, this design still depends on the safe attachment of the ceiling cover or fitting to the actual cord.
Another problem is that many ceiling fittings or covers are not stable or large enough to both carry the whole length of the cord etc. that is to be hidden, nor are they stable enough to sit straight just by an attachment to the cord in or in the vicinity of the lower aperture of the fitting.
Although some modern lamps are equipped with only a multipole connector which should be directly connected to the cables in an outlet in the ceiling, there is still generally a problem with fitting both the remaining cord, the hook and possibly a pipe from which the socket cords exit, or a fixed ceiling socket. This requires space. There is also the problem of arranging this type of cover or fitting in a straight position to the ceiling, as well as so that it is not sliding downwards along the cord.
Some ceilings are not straight but instead sloping, whereas the problem for the cover to come in tight engagement with the ceiling simply by an attachment to the cord become even more obvious.
Similar problems appear with other objects to be hung from or attached to the ceiling but which do not include a cable, cord or string in which the object is to be hung but where the object should be hung directly on a hook, ring or similar ceiling anchorage. There are generally no means for these type of objects to sit straight to the ceiling.